The Fair Work Ombudsman will on Monday launch a campaign to raise awareness of workplace rights among international students – almost a year after Fairfax Media uncovered worker underpayments in Wollongong.
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The action also comes on the back of a dispute involving a Shellharbour takeaway outlet, which allegedly used an unlawful internship program to exploit three young overseas workers.
In an open letter – to be published in newspapers across the country, including the Mercury – Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James will tell international students they have the same rights as all Australian workers and to speak up if they have any concerns about their job.
“We know that international students can be reluctant to speak out when something is wrong, making them particularly vulnerable to exploitation. This is especially the case when students think that seeking assistance will damage future job prospects or lead to the cancellation of their visa,” Ms James said
Three disputes involving international students in the Illawarra were resolved by the FWO between 2014 and 2016.
In a case that remains before the court, three Korean women were allegedly underpaid more than $51,000 by the operator of the ‘Masaki’ sushi outlet at Stockland Shellharbour.
The women – aged 20 and 21, who all spoke little English – worked at the takeaway outlet between September 2014 and July 2015.
All were in Australia on 417 working holiday visas.
Data from the FWO revealed it handled 16 disputes relating to all visa holders in the Illawarra between 2014 and 2016, accounting for four per cent of all disputes in the region.
Those 16 disputes resulted in $51,267 being recovered.
There were 7885 international student enrolments in Wollongong last year, with FWO-commissioned national research finding many were not aware of their rights under Australian workplace laws and didn’t know where to go for help.
Ms James said information on the Fair Work website was available in 30 different languages.
The FWO also recently launched its ‘Anonymous Report’ function in 16 languages other than English, allowing overseas students to report workplace breaches.
In March, Fair Work raided more than 80 businesses across the Wollongong CBD in response to concerns young workers were being exploited.
The unannounced audits were done in the wake of Fairfax Media’s exposure of rampant underpayment, and in cases non-payment, of university students by takeaway food outlets, cafes, restaurants and retail stores.
The findings from the raids should be revealed shortly.